Ex-Prosecutor Convertino Fails Again to Get Detroit Reporter to Disclose Sources

By Allan Lengel Deadline Detroit DETROIT –– Ex-federal prosecutor Richard Convertino has once again failed in his bid to get ex-Detroit Free Press reporter David Ashenfelter to disclose his sources. U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland ruled Monday that Ashenfelter, who recently retired from the Free Press, had the right to invoke his Fifth Amendment privileges,…

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Justice Department: California Prisons’ Handling of Riots Often Violate Federal Constitution

Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com California prisons are violating the federal constitution by isolating people based on race after a riot, the Associated Press reports. When a riot breaks out, officers often lock up entire races of people to prevent further violence. But the Justice Department said in a recent court filing that the practice violates the…

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FBI, Justice Department Urged to Re-Open 1985 Pipe Bombing of Arab American Group

Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Civil rights supporters are calling for the FBI and Justice Department to reopen the investigation into the 1985 killing of a prominent Palestinian American leader, Democracy Now reports. Alex Odeh was killed by a powerful pipe bomb placed at the offices of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination in Santa Ana, Calif., where he served…

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Charleston NAACP Asks Justice Department to Probe Excessive Force Against Black Men

Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Charleston civil rights supporters are calling for an investigation into a “troubling and outrageous trend” lethal police force against black men, the Post and Courier reports. Don Scott, president of the city’s NAACP, said Saturday’s shooting of a black man is one of four police-involved shootings since March 2012. Scott said officers…

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Justice Department Gives Agent Permission to Publish Book Critical of Agency

Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Justice Department has switched its position and said an ATF agent may publish a book about the agency’s bungled gun smuggling sting operation “Fast and Furious,”  the Associated Press reports. The department said it was notifying the ACLU, which is representing ATF agent John Dodson, that the book could be published….

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Justice Department Memo Suggests Leakers Face Firing Squad?

Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Leak information and you face a firing squad from the Justice Department. So suggests a page of the ATF’s online manual, some employees complained, reports the Washington Times. With the recent mass shootings and leaks, some ATF employees were offended, saying the agency already fosters a hostile environment for whistleblowers. ATF authorities…

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